Tuesday, 18 January 2011

WWE Wrestling's Highest Flyers DVD Review

WWE Wrestling’s Highest Flyers - DVD Review

By Phil Allely

In each and every wrestling promotion across the globe there are sections of the roster who work harder than the rest and yet they remain on the under-mid-card for most of their careers. Very few of these men and women make it to main event status or achieve the pinnacle of their chosen career and raise a world title, but without them the industry would be a dull place indeed. They are the high flyers and at long last the WWE has decided to dedicate a 3 disc set to the many pioneers of this fast-moving and light-footed section of the roster.

The people focused on here are what I’d describe as the cream of the crop in the light-heavyweight division, for want of abetter term. The featured performers also represent some of the industries much missed companies and in some cases a bygone era that for many years has been neglected by DVD releases.

Rather than list the entire selection of wonderful matches on offer from ECW, WCW, WWE and Japan I’ll focus on the people that are showcased here in this set. Each segment houses a short show reel on the selected wrestler and then we get a specially selected and well presented match featuring them in their prime.

What is nice here is that whilst embracing the guys and girls who made the flyers popular and paved the way, we also get to see some of the younger stars of today here too. So from Evan Bourne to Jimmy ‘Superfly’ Snuka, the choice is yours, pick a person and watch a classic bout. Former WWE Women’s Champion Lita gets a special mention for being the only lady profiled, but her opponent Trish Stratus deserves credit too.

Some of the matches on offer are genuine classics, examples being Brian Pillman Versus Ricky Steamboat match from WCW Halloween Havoc 1992, the WCW Cruiserweight AAA influenced six-man highlight reel from WCW Bash at the Beach 1997, Shawn Michaels facing Shelton Benjamin in the 2005 Gold Rush Tournament, ECW’s One Night Stand 2005 triple threat classic, Great Muta taking on Sting at 1991’s Japan Supershow and many more frenzied encounters, each one warranting a repeat viewing or two and a healthy does of ‘how did they do that and not injure themselves’.

Whether you are a fan of ECW, WCW, modern day or classic WWE, this set has it all, the match selections are superbly put together and work well I the context of the release, the format works well and you really do see why these guys are the people who deserve your recognition when they step into the ring, some of the set-pieces are crazy and unbelievably entertaining to see again. If you wonder just where the high flyers of today got their ideas and how they came up with the things they do this is for you.

WWE Wrestling’s Highest Flyers is available now from www.silvervision.co.uk and all good retailers.